Practices to Protect Bus Operators from Passenger Assault (2011) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 19-32
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From page 19... ...
Figure 5 presents the survey results to this fare payment enforcement policy question. Eighty-six percent of the 64 respondents stated that bus operators are instructed to state the required fare.
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20 FIGURE 1 Respondents by bus fleet size. 0-49,999,999 100,000,000-499,999,999 50,000,000-99,999,999 500,000,000 and Above 20% 12% 9% 59% FIGURE 2 Respondents by ridership.
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One respondent stated that the operator is encouraged to call transit police in the event of "disorderly passengers or groups of passengers violating rules." Agencies noted that the action taken by the bus operator depends on the rule being violated. A profile participant, Metro Transit of Madison, Wisconsin, noted that inappropriate conduct is grouped into three categories or levels of severity, and FIGURE 5 Fare payment enforcement; bus operators are instructed to .
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, for example, has a section on emergencies in its Bus Operators' Handbook, and in the subcategory "violent and disruptive passengers," GCRTA operators are provided with instructions on how to handle emergencies. (See Appendix A for a copy of these instructions.)
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is or has recently been problematic for the responding agency, the assault type considered to be most problematic for agencies was verbal threats, intimidation, or harassment, as indicated in Table 3. This result mirrors those of workplace violence studies that indicate that verbal attacks are the most common form of workplace violence.
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Thirty-three percent indicated "no discernible pattern," with smaller agencies more likely to indicate "no discernible pattern." TRAINING Training of bus operators was cited by survey respondents as a very effective security measure to prevent assault. Transit agencies provide a variety of training to new and veteran bus operators.
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Transit agencies use different methods to support their bus operators who have been assaulted. Larger agencies tend to have more comprehensive programs and more support staff to assist assault victims.
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As noted earlier, smaller agencies tend to have fewer incidences of violence and tend to have more restricted budgets and thus rely more on local law enforcement for their security needs. Onboard Technologies Onboard technologies support the bus operator during emergencies by facilitating communication with supervisors and responders, and fast response to incidents.
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The question concerning onboard technologies asked about technologies being used to protect bus operators on board their buses. Multiple responses were allowed.
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In the profile section on self-defense tools in chapter five, an agency that did not participate in the survey, Houston METRO, was identified as issuing a self-defense tool -- pepper gel canisters -- to their bus operators. BUS OPERATOR SELECTION METHODS Hiring individuals suited for all aspects of the bus operator position can lessen the incidence of passenger assault.
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EFFECTIVE MEASURES Survey respondents were asked in an open-ended question to provide the five most effective security measures that can protect bus operators from passenger assault. Forty-seven respondents provided their opinions regarding the most effective measures and listed up to five measures.
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Taking care of passengers by using techniques that indicate compassion, consistency, and fairness reduce the likelihood of assaults." The respondent also recommends, regarding 30 fare payment and other agency rules, that operators "should avoid [making] exceptions, which confuse passengers" and may ultimately result in an assault.
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. The top response, bus operator training, was mentioned 20 times.
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. The bus operator must know when to ‘let it go' and report the situation to a supervisor or officer." Another respondent notes that their agency has "utilized recurrent training in passenger relations for those operators with a disproportionate number of negative customer encounters." "National curriculum for bus operators" is proposed by one respondent.
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